Telegram was launched in 2013 in India and became the world's fourth most popular social media app. With its large file-sharing capabilities and requirement for less personal data, many users even prefer it over the ruling messaging app WhatsApp.

As of 2023, the app has come a long way with features such as channels, stories, self-destructing media and view-once option. As Telegram evolves, so do its avenues for marketing opportunities.In recent years, the app has caught the attention of marketers and the unique opportunities it presents.

In an event - the Pitch BrandTalk summit by team e4m, Puneet Dua, Co-Founder, and CMO at SportsBaazi said that Telegram and YouTube are very underrated as marketing channels. “Google and Meta ads are pushing me away from the brand rather than pushing me towards it. Telegram and Discord are very urban but they are catching up.”

We reached out to experts in the digital space to explore the evolution of the social media platform as a marketing tool, its scope, its promises to brands and its future.

Community building app? 

While other social media apps are trying to churn out content and keep out clutter while aiming to go viral, Telegram is more about community building with privacy at the heart of it as there is no visibility of numbers or any information so if someone wants to be a part of the community, they don’t want others to know about or even know their identity, it is the best place to be.

Said Dua of SportsBaazi: “Telegram is a space that is secluded for users, they can browse and be a part of the group they are interested in, without worry about disclosing their identity. For example, you could be a part of a mental wellness group. This is how community building is increasing on the platform.”

Rashid Ahmed, Chief Digital Officer, at Infectious Advertising noted, “Some of the most followed Telegram channels in India include deals, niche information, and entertainment. Communities form online, for a variety of reasons, often driven by shared interests, goals, or experiences. Shared interests and hobbies, support and advocacy, information and learning, entertainment, common backgrounds, technology, business interests, and even escapism can be terrific pivots around which communities can be built.”

Echoing similar thoughts, Ritesh Ujjwal- Co Founder, Kofluence, said, “Telegram is a powerful platform with an intuitive interface and diverse features for community building that facilitate communication, coordination, and engagement. It is a step ahead of ordinary messenger apps with its ability to create public or private groups to foster diverse communities, along with the integration of bots' seamless automation, enhancing tasks like content moderation and event scheduling. With encrypted messaging and customizable notification settings, it provides a secure and user-friendly environment for building and sustaining communities across various interests, industries, or causes.”

Brand marketing tool 

Telegram has over 800 million premium users andit has an estimated1.068 billiontotal users with 700 million monthly active users in 2023. The app has around 196 million daily active users (DAU), according to experts only BFSI and the gaming sector has been able to crack and make some good use cases while using the platform as a marketing tool.

We asked experts about how can it be used as a brand marketing tool, Vikas Chawla, Co-Founder at Social Beat said that it is still very early for brands to use Telegram to its potential, the platform has to evolve itself more. He said, “Some of our BFSI clients or even electronics clients use it in a limited way, they have third-party moderators who help them reach audiences. In terms of mass adoption, it is pretty early for brands. The efforts vs impact should match so we are also trying to see how it will grow. However, brands are open to experimenting communication with this platform.”

Suggesting how brands can leverage it as a marketing tool, Ahmed said, “Brands can start by setting up an audience-specific Telegram group or channel. Channels are suitable for broadcasting messages, while groups are better for interactive discussions. Regular posting of sharable, relevant, and valuable content that resonates with the audience is imperative. Interactivity too is critical since people tend to remain active when there’s engagement on all fronts. Telegram's bot functionality can be leveraged to automate tasks, conduct polls, manage FAQs, and provide personalized interactions. Bots can also be used for fun activities like quizzes or games relevant to a brand.”

While Ujjwal, said, “Telegram offers versatile marketing avenues through channels, groups, and chatbots. A strategic Telegram marketing approach involves creating a business profile, pinpointing the target audience, and deploying promotion methods such as cross-promotion and social media ads. Telegram Ads offer businesses the opportunity to showcase sponsored messages respectfully on Channels with 1000+ subscribers. Collaborating with influencers for affiliate marketing and utilizing Telegram's advertising features enhances brand reach, ensuring a comprehensive and effective marketing strategy. Systematic monitoring of key metrics ensures ongoing refinement, substantiating the efficacy of Telegram marketing initiatives.”

Future of the platform 

Marketers are still figuring out how to use the platform to their advantage and smoothly run mass yet personalized marketing campaigns, experts believe that it will turn into marketers favorite platform to touch base their consumers.

Chawla shared a successful usecase for one of their BFSI clients - Dhan. He shared that they have a active consumer base on the platform and often use it for community building and communication purposes.

While Ahmed said, “The growing user base, high community engagement levels, support for various types of content, bot-capability for automation, and the fact that the platform is ideal for building and nurturing communities, ensures that Telegram has very high potential as a marketing channel. While the platform does not have an ad-delivery system, brands could utilize force multipliers by way of influencers and affiliates to promote attractive offers across communities dedicated to these activities. All in all, Telegram seems poised to become marketers' go-to engagement platform”.